持之以恒

Pronunciation: chí zhī yǐ héng Literal meaning: Hold to it with constancy

Origin & Usage

This is advice rather than a story: hold to it (持之) with constancy (以恒). Zeng Guofan, the Qing official whose family letters became one of the most-read Chinese manuals of self-discipline, returned to the idea continually — that character is built out of small things done without a break, and that the enemy of it is not difficulty but interruption. The phrase carries none of the drama of 悬梁刺股 or 闻鸡起舞, and that is rather the point: it names the unremarkable daily version of persistence, and it is what a Chinese teacher says about the student who is not brilliant but never stops.

Examples

English: "With unwavering determination, she completed her marathon training despite the challenges."

Chinese: 她在面对挑战时，持之以恒地完成了马拉松训练。